Switch apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

You can quickly switch from one app to another on your iOS device. When you switch back, you can pick up right where you left off.

Switch between apps

Double-click the Home button to see recently used apps.

Swipe left or right to find the app that you want to use.

Tap the app.

If you have an iPhone 6s or later, you can use 3D Touch to switch to a previous app. Just press the left edge of your screen, then swipe right. You can also view your recently used apps by pressing the left side of your screen.

On your iPad, you can see recently used apps by swiping up from the bottom of your screen with four fingers. If you have a keyboard paired to your iPad Pro, you can switch between apps by pressing Command-Tab.

Use Background App Refresh

After you switch to a different app, some apps run for a short period of time before they're set to a suspended state. Apps that are in a suspended state aren’t actively in use, open, or taking up system resources. With Background App Refresh, suspended apps can check for updates and new content.

If you want suspended apps to check for new content, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn on Background App Refresh. If you quit an app from the app switcher, it might not be able to run or check for new content before you open it again.